Recently, the general trends in designing portable electronic devices are toward small size, light weightiness and easy portability. The portable electronic devices such as mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), digital still cameras, digital video cameras, notebook computers and the like have built-in batteries. If no external power supply apparatus is provided to power the portable electronic device, the built-in battery is usually used as the main power source. If the power supplied from the battery is insufficient, the user may simply plug an electrical connector of a power supply apparatus (e.g. an AC-to-DC power adapter or a charger) into an AC wall outlet commonly found in most homes or offices so as to receive an AC power. The AC power is then converted into a DC power to be used for the portable electronic device and/or charge the built-in battery.
Referring to FIG. 1, a schematic view of a conventional power supply apparatus is illustrated. The power supply apparatus 1 includes a main body 11, a first power connecting part 12 and a second power connecting part 13. A first side 110 of the main body 11 includes an input socket 111. The input socket 111 includes a plurality of conductive pins 112 having first terminals electrically connected to a circuit board (not shown) within the main body 11 and second terminals accommodating within a receiving portion 113 thereof. The AC voltage transmitted from the external power source is converted by the circuitry of the circuit board inside the main body 11 into a regulated DC output voltage.
The first power connecting part 12 includes an output plug 120 and a power cable 121. The power cable 121 has an end connected to the circuit board (not shown) within the main body 11 and the other end connected to the output plug 120. The output plug 120 may be plugged into a power receiving socket of a portable electronic device such as a notebook computer, so that the regulated DC output voltage is transmitted to the portable electronic device. The second power connecting part 13 includes a first input plug 130, a power cable 131 and a second input plug 132. The first input plug 130 is plugged into the input socket 111 of the main body 11. The first plug 130 has conductive pins electrically connected to the conductive pins 112 of the input socket 111. The second input plug 132 may be plugged into an AC wall outlet commonly found in most homes or offices so as to receive an AC power.
When the power supply apparatus 1 is used with a portable electronic device such as a notebook computer, the output plug 120 of the first power connecting part 12 is plugged into the power receiving socket of the portable electronic device, and the first input plug 130 is plugged into the input socket 111 of the main body 11 and the second input plug 132 is plugged into an AC wall outlet. The AC voltage is transmitted from the external power source to the power supply apparatus 1 through the second input plug 132, the power cable 131 and the first input plug 130 of the second power connecting part 13, and then converted by the circuitry of the circuit board inside the main body 11 into a regulated DC output voltage. The regulated DC output voltage is then supplied to the portable electronic device through the power cable 121 and the output plug 120 of the first power connecting part 12, thereby powering the portable electronic device and/or charging a battery built-in the portable electronic device.
Although the power supply apparatus can provide direct power and recharging capabilities, there are still some drawbacks. For example, a strap is usually used to secure a bundled power cable for storage. The bundled power cable, which is suspended over the main body, results in an inferior appearance and occupies a lot of space. In addition, the AC voltages from the external power sources are varied in different countries. That is, a set of the second power connecting part 13 may fail to be used everywhere. If another set of the second power connecting part 13 is carried, the volume and the overall weight of the baggage are increased. Moreover, due to the restriction of the space utilization, the power supply apparatus 1 may sometimes need to be hung on the wall. If the second power connecting part 13 is detached from the main body 11 in response to an external force applied on the power cable 131, abrupt power interruption will occur and the power supply apparatus 1 may have a breakdown.
For solving the above problems, another power supply apparatus was developed. Referring to FIG. 2, a schematic view of another conventional power supply apparatus is illustrated. The power supply apparatus 2 includes a main body 21, a first power connecting part 22 and a second power connecting part 23. A first side 210 of the main body 21 includes an input socket 211. The input socket 211 includes a plurality of conductive pins 212 having first ends electrically connected to a circuit board (not shown) within the main body 21 and second terminals accommodating within a receiving portion thereof. The first power connecting part 22 includes an output plug 220 and a power cable 221. The power cable 221 has an end connected to the circuit board (not shown) within the main body 21 and the other end connected to the output plug 220. The output plug 220 may be plugged into a power receiving socket of a portable electronic device such as a notebook computer, so that the regulated DC output voltage is transmitted to the portable electronic device. Especially, the second power connecting part 23 is substantially an electrical connector which is also referred as a duck head connector. The second power connecting part 23 includes a housing 230, conductive pins 231 and a protrusion portion 232. The conductive pins 231 have first terminals accommodated within the protrusion portion 232 and second terminals protruded from a surface the housing 230. After the protrusion portion 232 is inserted into the input socket 211 of the main body 21, the conductive pins within the protrusion portion 232 are electrically connected to the conductive pins 212 within the input socket 211.
The second power connecting part 23 has no power cable, so that the problem of storing the power cable is solved. However, since the conductive pins 231 are protruded from the housing 230 and non-foldable, the conductive pins 231 may fail to be plugged into an AC wall outlet to receive an AC voltage if the utilization space is very narrow. Therefore, the power supply apparatus 2 is not suitable in many circumstances.
In views of the above-described disadvantages resulted from the conventional method, the applicant keeps on carving unflaggingly to develop a foldable electrical connector according to the present invention through wholehearted experience and research.